Barbell Shrugged - Building A Badass  — National Best Seller  — 6

Episode Date: October 5, 2018

In this episode of Building A Badass, I talk about having confidence in your own work and knowledge, and what you can give the world by being who you are. I tell you how I unexpectedly became a writer through living my passion and being curious about the world.   Through passion I was able to explore what good nutrition looked like, and figure out what works for me. Using those tools, I just kept growing my confidence stronger and stronger, which eventually led me to end up in a National Best Seller list.   Stay Relentless, - Christmas Abbott ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Show notes: http://www.shruggedcollective.com/bab_nascar ------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please Support Our Sponsor @vuori- www.vuoriclothing.com - Use coupon code BADASS25   ► Subscribe to Shrugged Collective's Channel Here http://bit.ly/BarbellShruggedSubscribe 📲 🎧 Listen to the audio version on the Apple Podcast App or Stitcher for Android Here- http://bit.ly/BarbellShruggedApple http://bit.ly/BarbellShruggedStitcher Shrugged Collective is a network of fitness, health and performance shows that help people achieve their physical and mental health goals.  Usually in the gym, but outside as well. In 2012 they posted their first Barbell Shrugged podcast and have been putting out weekly free videos and podcasts ever since. Along the way we've created successful online coaching programs including The Shrugged Strength Challenge, The Muscle Gain Challenge, FLIGHT, Barbell Shredded, and Barbell Bikini. We're also dedicated to helping affiliate gym owners grow their businesses and better serve their members by providing owners tools and resources like the Barbell Business Podcast. Find Shrugged Collective and their flagship show Barbell Shrugged here: SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES ► http://bit.ly/ShruggedCollectiveiTunes WEBSITE ► https://www.ShruggedCollective.com INSTAGRAM ► https://instagram.com/shruggedcollective FACEBOOK ► https://facebook.com/barbellshruggedpodcast TWITTER ► http://twitter.com/barbellshrugged

Hello, everybody, and this is Christmas Abbott here sharing my personal journey on building a badass. And this series is eight significant events in my life that have really helped me either shape who I am, reveal who I am, invoke who I want to be, and I get to share these personal journeys with you. And this week's episode is brought to you by Viore. And what a beautiful name. And I actually am so excited about this company, the comfort level, the softness of this fabric, you just want to roll around in. And as I'm preparing for motherhood, I'm really excited for some comfortable, soft clothes that I can wear in the gym and to the grocery store and not look like a sweat junkie or a bum. It's not like your

traditional workout clothing. Now, I will tell you, fellas, I know that a lot of lady listeners are out there, and thank you so much for that. But fellas, this is a primarily male-driven line. So you're going to get some really cozy, comfortable, fashionable workout clothes that can be street and just really nice wear. And ladies, you're not left out. They do have a ladies line and they are going to really amp up the focus early next year for the ladies apparel. So if you want something that is really soft and comfortable, but fashionable and form-fitting and fitting and well fitting to your body as an athlete, then this is what you want, that you want the Viore. And then you can also

cross over to everyday streetwear. It's very, very versatile. So for me on the go, and adding a new title to my resume as mother soon. This is perfect for me because I get to go get my workout on and then I can go to the grocery store and then I can go shopping and do all the things without having to change and be comfortable and look good while I'm doing it. So this is a treat for you. And you get 25% off of your purchase with the code shrugged25.

So that's shrugged25, like you're listening to. And at your checkout, you'll get 25% off. Go to vioreyclothing.com. I'm going to spell this out for you. Okay. So listen up. V-U-O-R-I-clothing.com. So head over there and grab some goodies, especially since the weather's changing. Everybody needs a new pair of joggers, right? All right. So hopping in to this week's topic, I'm pretty excited. You guys, hopefully you've been listening to all of the series in sequential order. So you can really see where my life has been over the last couple of years, really decade and how I got to where I am, but there's still some questions. So life didn't end for me after NASCAR. Actually, it was just beginning and just rising with all

of the blessings that I had in my life. And I am still so very blessed. And like we do with anything, we build on the foundation that we have established. And for me, that foundation started long before I really recognized it. So this week, I want to talk to you about having confidence in your own work and what you know, your knowledge, and what you can give the world by being who you are. And with that, I'm going to talk about becoming a national bestseller with my very first book. And I was really close. I was just outside the national bestseller list for my second book. And I am also in the works right now of a few other books. But this week's episode, I really want you to focus on how that became, because I didn't go to school for nutrition. I didn't go to school for health

or wellness. And I was just a product of my own curiosity. And that's what this is about. And I doubted my ability in this expertise, having the expertise in this field, because I figured I was just too late to the game. And little did I know, I was actually a perfect candidate to share my knowledge and to share my experience. And it's because I was passionate about what I was learning about. I wanted to know about nutrition. I wanted to know about health and wellness. And with that passion, I was able to really explore what good nutrition looked like, apply it to myself, use myself as a guinea pig, and weed out all of the fad diets with what really worked and what didn't. Now, I'm obviously not a scientist, but I'm a big fan of using yourself as a marker.

So this week's episode is all about finding the confidence in what you do and what your expertise is and running with it and allowing yourself to see where that will take you. And for me, it took me to the top of a national bestseller list. All right, so how the hell did that happen? I'm not, I was never a writer. I was never a nutritionist or a scientist or an athlete. And then here I am writing a nutrition book and it's getting world recognition. It's been published all across the world.

If you're not familiar with that book, it is called The Badass Body Diet. And then my follow-up book to Lifestyle and Habits is The Badass Life. And yes, I am working on a baby book and a few other ones that will take some time. Like I said, I'm not a natural writer. So during NASCAR, I got a ton of inquiries on my nutrition because NASCAR really took me to the next level, the highest level of being a competitive athlete. And I was competitive in weightlifting at a national level. I had gone to the CrossFit Games twice and regionals four times. And then I was at the Sprint Cup level for NASCAR.

So I think that I've earned the right to say that I was a professional athlete. And in order to be able to maintain that type of regimen of training and discipline, I had to be really dialed in with my nutrition. And I'll tell you, one of the most famous photos, if you're not familiar with it, is me, I think I'm wearing a pair of black shorts and a neon yellow top or bra and I'm holding my pistol. And I did this photo shoot for Greg Glassman because he was publishing in the journal an article about gun safety. And I have a pistol tattooed on my hip. And I am also an avid shooter. I love shooting, but just for sport and hobby. And so during this photo shoot, I'm just like, I'm going to tell you, I was ripped. And it was a very, very popular photo that got circulated. And I didn't diet.

I just actually ate the way that I had learned for myself. So I kind of made my own program through various other programs. And so people were always asking me what my diet regimen was. And I actually turned away a lot of people when they would email me about my nutrition just because I was like, hey, this is something that I've concocted for myself. It probably won't work for you because we don't have the same body. And I was just very naive. I didn't feel confident in my own program, but also myself and my knowledge to dispense that. So who am I to be an expert to somebody else? And so through that, I just kept getting

question after question after question to the point where after NASCAR was done, I was still getting... That was the most popular question, is diet and then training. And I was like, well, the training is kind of easy. Do CrossFit, do weightlifting, do my bootcamp. Either one of these are going to help. But nutrition gets sticky. So I had been sitting there on the couch and I was talking to my friend and of course all great ideas have come from my fans. Or somebody suggesting, hey Christmas why don't you do that? And I'm like, well who am I to do this? And so you can see the trend here. And I'm sitting on the couch with my friend and I was like, you know, I just, I keep getting all these questions and I just wish I could just have them all the same answer or, you know, or have like one source

for an answer for them. And he was like, why don't you do a seminar? And I was like, who am I to do a seminar? Who am I? You know, it just seemed so bizarre that I would do a seminar on nutrition because I was never an athlete. It just didn't make sense. And I started thinking about it and he was like, Christmas, this is what you do. You've done this for almost a decade for yourself and you've helped a couple others do it as well. So why not? I don't understand. And I just had this moment where I was sitting there on the couch in Raleigh and I was like, oh my God, shit, that might work. So I started the seminar. I literally sat down that moment and started mapping out my nutrition. And I had done that before. I tracked my macros and

I'll get into a little bit of the details of my diet regimen in a minute. But really, I wanted to make sure that whatever I provided for everybody was going to be top notch. So like I do in everything else, I just dive in and I get relentless with it. So I created this seminar for nutrition specifically, and I called it the Badass Body Diet. And I literally, this was, again, just like my boot camp. It was super grassroots, and I went on my fan page and I was like,, hey guys, if I start a seminar, who's interested and where are you? And I got over 300 requests emailed, submitted for me to come to their gym or their hometown and teach this nutrition seminar. And I just, I couldn't believe it. I think I even cried

because I was like, wow, this is incredible. One, so many people want to know about nutrition. They want to know about how to better their bodies. And two, they want to know it from me. So I, again, no pressure now. I'm starting this seminar series and I am booking out weeks and months at a time on this nutrition seminar. Now, mind you, at this time, I have not even given my first nutrition seminar. Now, public speaking was not one of my favorite things at the time, but I was pretty good at it. And I'll have to give CrossFit credit for that again, because I was doing level ones, coaching and teaching the seminars there. And it allowed me to have this understanding and education and empowerment in public speaking. So I at least had that under my belt. So I go to my first seminar and I am full disclosure.

I'm like, hey guys, this is my very first one. If you hate it, just smile and give me a hug. Let me know later and I'll refund you. And I was just really just amazed that people showed up. And I broke this nutrition down pretty simply. And you can get really complicated with it, right? You can get into the weeds. But ultimately, it's a pretty straightforward concept. And it works for the masses. Now, I'm not saying it works for every single person, because there's

a lot of variables. But for the majority of the population, it works and it works well, really well right away. Not only in body composition, but also just performance and how you feel, mental clarity, sleep, anxiety. I can't even begin to tell you all the benefits that positive nutrition can have in your life. And so I started traveling almost every weekend, usually three out of the four weekends of a month, and I would do one seminar per weekend. And then I did two seminars per weekend. And I just was kind of exhausting myself.

I'd travel on the weekends and then train during the week. And I get this call from this guy from New York and he's like, hey, Christmas. I'm like, hi, just chatting it up. And he's like, I'm a book agent. Have you ever thought about writing a book? I just laughed. I laughed at him because like, one, I'm not a writer. What the heck would I write a book about? And if I wrote a book about anything, who's going to pick it up? I have no clue. And so I just laughed and I was like, nobody. You called the wrong girl. You need me to lift something up heavy and fast and do it with some sass, that's me. I'm your girl. Writing a book, nah, I'm not a writer.

And he said, well, just tell me about your life. What are you doing now? And I said, well, I'm training. I'm doing these nutrition seminars. And he's like, well, tell me about your nutrition. And so I broke it down for him. And he like you have your book I'm like what are you talking about this is nutrition I'm not writing a book about nutrition I don't have any college credentials and he's like it doesn't matter Christmas that's what people want and that's what you're already teaching just let's um collaborate and get this down on some paper and I was I thought it was one of those things that just you walk into and you're like okay Just let's collaborate and get this down on some paper. And I thought it was one of those things that just you walk into and you're like, okay,

I'm going to try this out because I've learned my lesson before. Hello, NASCAR, to go ahead and try things that I'm not sure about and see where it falls. Well, again, I don't know why I keep getting surprised, but it worked out really, really well. So with the book, like I said, I'm not a strong writer, or at least I don't think that I'm a strong writer. And I was like, hey, I'm going to need some help putting this together. He's like, that's what we have a ghostwriter for. So I collaborated with my ghostwriter, Maggie, and I would send her all of my stuff. I'm like, this is the chaos. And for me, I can put things together very well to teach other people. But when you're talking about a book, it's a little daunting. And honestly, I was a bit intimidated. A book,

not just standing up in front of people and talking and like, if you mess up, that's okay because they don't know, right? You just kind of go with the flow. And this is a professional book and I just knew I didn't want it to come off bad because it's permanent forever. It's part of me and I wanted to be proud of it. So I took my time. I worked with Maggie, my ghostwriter, and we worked on it and put it into a way that was very educational, inspiring, and could be easily applied to the masses. I am a huge advocate for getting people into fitness, nutrition, health, wellness. For me, I want to be that gateway person for them. I don't have to be the specialist.

If you're training an Olympic athlete, fantastic. Games athlete, fantastic. I want to be the person training the everyday person that has never gotten into fitness, has never looked at food as a drug, and has never looked at their potential as something that they can actually tap into. So that's my passion. And with this book, I wanted to be able to reach more people in that introductory level than I could individually. So this was a really great opportunity for me to be able to take it to that next level, but also get more and more people exposed to a better lifestyle. So Maggie and I finished the book and I love it. I'm very proud of it.

I still am very proud of it. There's probably some things that I would change today, but that's what happens years later. But the concept and application, I would not. And so we start shopping it around. And this is a traditional way to get published. Excuse me, pregnancy brain. So this is a traditional way to get published is go through a publishing house. I went to New York for two days, one night, two days. It was a very quick trip because I had a very tight schedule. But we were pitching this book and we had 12 meetings in two days, which is aggressive. So they already saw a sample chapter.

They knew what the idea was. They saw who I was and what I do. And so each company that we talked with would decide whether or not they want to give me an offer. And that will decide whether or not I accept their offer. So it's a bid if anybody bids on it. So I'm going to New York and my agent is so excited because we have so many meetings. He's like, this is not standard Christmas. And I was like, okay, I don't know what standard is. So cool. And I'm just completely naive to the whole

process. We go and we talk to everybody and I'm in the cab on the way to the airport. And my agent calls me. He said, we already have an offer. And I said, is this normal? He's like, no, usually it's not. And he said, it's not my money, but I'm going to suggest that you wait. And we went through this kind of like, oh my gosh, this negotiation between me and him on a strategy. And his suggestion was that if it's that quickly, then there's going to be more. And there was immediately after, before I got to the airport. I had two significant offers. And I'm just sitting there, driving, you know, riding to the airport of New York City. And I'm just insanely in awe and disbelief that this non-writer,

this non-nutritionist is having a bidding war to get my work published. Now, I'll tell you, it puts things and blessings into perspective. I could not believe it. So before I confirm with the company that I'm going to go with, this right now was a pretty challenging time. My grandmother had just passed and I was actually flying from New York to go to her funeral. So, and my grandmother, she's a spitfire. She's, all the women in my family are amazing. And so I was, it was kind of like a silver lining. So I fly home and I get a call from my agent. He said, we have the last few offers. This is it.

And so I'm balancing all of them. And it's so bizarre to think back that the day that I accepted the final bid, the final offer, is the same day that my grandmother was put to rest. And, you know, I feel like that's kind of like her way of saying, hey, Christmas, you have to keep going with your dreams because they will work out. You just have to believe in them and push. And even if you don't believe in them right then, keep going, find out where it can lead you. And so I signed with HarperCollins, one of the top three book publishers in the world. And it was just such a surreal moment in that time. I remember being in my grandmother's living room and I looked over at my family and I was like, I just made a book deal. And I started crying and my family was really excited. And, you know, it's kind of,

it's a little bizarre that it happened that day, but I'm grateful that it did because it helps me honor her memory. Now, kind of going a little bit forward, fast forward a little bit, the book is finished. We do photos. I am so not used to this process, right? And they're like, hey, you have to promote. And I'm like, okay, what's going to happen? My book tour was actually my nutrition seminar tour. So I was planning on going on a tour on the road 100% of the time in an RV that next year when it published and just kind of hype it up. And that way I can get to see all my

fans and I get to go see the country and I get to go just travel and just kind of have this kind of a little bit of a gypsy lifestyle for a little bit. Well, a few months after signing the book, but before the book release, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. And it was a late stage two breast cancer. And I didn't know what that entailed. I knew people that had cancer in their life. I knew people that had survived it. And, you know, at first it was supposed to be stage one and then it was early stage two and then late stage three slash early stage four,

depending on how you classify it. But she had part, you know, the cancer removed from her, and then she had some lymph nodes removed that had cells of cancer in them, cancer cells in them, which means that she had to do chemo and radiation. Now, I'm going to go ahead and say, cancer fucking sucks. That joker is rude, crude, and just does not give a fuck about anything. And I was under the impression that since they got the cancer out, that that was the worst part was the actual cancer cells. I had no idea and was not prepared for watching my mother go through chemo treatment. The side effects of the chemo treatment literally almost killed her a couple times. And she kept a positive spirit. And she, to this day, will say that she's not a survivor. She's like a cancer warrior. She's like, surviving implies this victimization. You know, like, I just survived.

I barely got by. But no, she thrived in spirit. Physically, it was grueling. There were some days that she just didn't get out of bed. She'd get bed sores. She went to the ER multiple times, almost had heart failure because of a weak wall in her heart because of the chemo. And then she had to go through radiation. So that was a pretty big deal for me and my family so I tried to go down to Texas as much as I possibly could to help in any way and you know there's not much you can do but there's also a lot you can do you just have to be there and so January 1st I kicked off my tour and was with my current partner, and we were touring together.

Well, without getting into the details, my partner and I split, and it was really, really heartbreaking and devastating, I believe for both of us. And so that took my trip into a whole new dynamic. My brother came and stayed with me during the trip. And this was almost nine months of being on the road 100%. That's what I had scheduled because, you know, why not? I'm going to do a nine-month book tour and never go home. And then, oh yeah, my mom has cancer. Oh yeah, I'm going to go through a breakup. And guess what? I'm not canceling any of these seminars because I just, I knew that my struggle didn't have to be their punishment. And I put this plan in place. And sometimes plans need to be changed, and that's okay.

But this was also part of my life in the sense that it gave me life. So before the book giving came out, I was on a struggle bus. And I didn't know how the book was going to do. So my brother came to stay with me. He actually helped drive me cross country. I was training for nationals in weightlifting. So I'm literally driving this huge SUV with an Aliko bar protected strapped to the top. And I would stop in every town. So every weekend I would do two seminars and then we would drive and then stay in one place for that week and then do a seminar drive. And that was the weekly cycle. I wasn't in one place for more than a couple of weeks until the very end.

And I would just pull my bar off of the roof and go train at a facility. And I'll tell you, between the focus of being able to dive into my seminars and see my fans that needed and wanted this information, them giving me these hugs, which I love, the grind, the discipline to train for weightlifting, which was difficult, but it's what got me out of bed, to be quite frank. That combination of those two really helped keep me from falling into a dark hole and depression. Now, I would fly home, my brother and I would go home to Texas as often as possible to check on mom and to be with her, but I still had my obligations. So going through this process, this tour, I mean, in the most unideal circumstances, I'm finding a way to enjoy is a little bit of a bold word to use, but to have the experience as healthy as possible. Now, I'm waiting for the book to come out and it finally releases.

And that day, I am a national bestseller. I couldn't believe it. I am on tour doing something that I love, love, love, love, love. And I'm also being able to spend time with my family, which I love. And then I'm a national bestseller. Not that many people get to ever claim that or have that. And it was mind blowing. I could not believe it. And I was just success across the board. My seminars were selling out. My books were selling out. It was on Amazon. It was in Barnes and Noble. It was everywhere that you could turn around. And I'm signing books left and right. And I'm just really, really grateful, but also very conflicted because I'm having this very difficult, dark time in my life as well. But I just knew that I had to keep going. And those seminars,

specifically those seminars, and the fans at the seminars and their stories were amazing. And that's what really, really kept me going. Now, I'm sure you're kind of curious of like, how the hell did you get this nutrition information Christmas? So I'm going to rewind a little bit and take you back to, well, I discovered CrossFit in 2005 and fitness in 2004. And as soon as I discovered fitness, I knew that food was a fuel. But I used it as a delicious part of my day. I used to just work out so I could eat whatever I want. Really, I worked out so I could drink whatever I wanted. But I was still curious about nutrition and how it affected us.

And so immediately after starting to work out, I would eat grilled chicken and salad. That's what you do, right? When you start training. Grilled chicken, that's the way to go. And I started to research a whole bunch of different nutrition plans, diet plans, and there was so much information out there that I just was confused and frustrated because it was all conflicting and it didn't make sense. And the things that did make sense wasn't very popular.

So like everything else I've done in my life, I used myself as a guinea pig. I took every diet that was kind of prominent in the time and decided to apply it to myself individually. So not all at the same time and for a a couple weeks and actually track my progress. Now, when I track my progress, I would track a couple of things. How did it make me feel in my workout? What kind of body composition change did I see? How did it make me feel mentally? How did it make me feel emotionally?

How did it make my soul feel? Okay, so let's go ahead and acknowledge that there's food for your body, and then there's food for your soul. And man, as a Southern woman, I love soul food so much. I mean, I grew up on fried chicken and collard greens, and we would have chicken and dumplings, like seriously. And then we have this German pasta, spaetzle. So it was good. And it was just something that makes you warm, curl up on the couch, take a nap. Well, that's because you were carbo-reloading Christmas. And so there's different types of feelings that food elicit. But food is a drug.

It gives you a hormonal change in your body. And guess what? We need this every single day. So I tried the lemonade, cayenne, pepper, honey, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid diet. And I was like, this is going to make me psychotic. That's a hell no pass on all of these testing points. I tried Zone, which I love the Zone diet. Now the Zone diet from Barry Spears, it was very popular, but specifically, I think that it was designed for your everyday American in a sense of that it didn't have a quality scale on your macronutrients, protein, carbohydrate, and fat every meal, every time, and you'll get the best hormonal response from food, period. And I agree, but the other thing that Barry Spears kind of also really pushed was that you can actually eat pizza and beer as long as it's balanced and still get a great hormonal response.

Well, Mr. Spears, I beg to differ. The effects for everyday people, there's still a lot of negative side effects of poor carbohydrates, specifically processed carbohydrates, sugar as carbohydrates, and alcohol. Guess what, people? That's a carbohydrate. It gets processed as sugar in your body. So basically, you could live off of steak and wine and use the fat on the steak and say, hey, I'm going to be super healthy because of my diet regimen. I also know a guy that did that for a year.

And he went into a little bit of a slight rhabdo, elevated rhabdo in his body because he just wasn't getting any other nutrients. So you can see where there's some deficiencies there. Now then at the same time, paleo is very popular. So just like the paleolithic caveman concept, the original concept was, is that if you can't catch it and slaughter it or harvest it and eat it within an hour, then it's not consumable. Don't consume it. I love the idea of pure paleo in the sense that whole foods in their natural state being consumed is the best option. I love it. However, we started making zucchini bread. We started making banana nut bread. We started making all of these loophole concoctions that I don't recall reading about how a caveman made souffles with zucchini. It just doesn't happen. you take it out of its natural state and make it into a cake with a ton of honey, then you're kind

of stepping out of that paleo origin guidelines. Now, listen, I love cake. I don't take cake out of my life because I want my life to, like people around me to not be afraid of me all the time. So there's some time and place for it. But paleo also, you can carb load on paleo, meaning that you get an overload of carbohydrates, and then you get an extra storage of fat, fat cells. And so you can actually get fat on paleo. And I've seen it happen, people. So the other thing is that it doesn't promote the balance of macronutrients of a carbohydrate, protein, and a fat every meal, which gives you a really nice hormonal balance from the food. So I liked paleo, but it wasn't quite right. There were some deficiencies there too.

Now I tried a whole bunch of other diets too, and a lot of them just failed immediately. And I'll tell you, I failed on the zone day one breakfast. I had a hissy fit because I was so used to having toast with butter and jam, two slices by the way, and then like one egg and orange juice. And realizing that I was carb overloading tremendously from juice, bread, jam, I had a hissy fit. And I had to restart the next actually restarted multiple times before I could figure that out. So what I did, just kind of like what CrossFit did, Greg Glassman, when he designed CrossFit, is I took the components of the diet regimens that worked for me well,

and left the things that didn't, and restructured a lot of that so I could get the best of the both of them, or the best of there's three of them. And I really loved it. And I was able to create this balance of control with my body, but also not feel deprived and hangry all the time. Or like I'm limited in counting half of an almond nut in the corner of the gym. You guys know who I'm talking about. And if that's you, go eat a fucking piece of cake. If you are in the corner of the gym counting out half almonds, then you have gone too far, right?

Nutrition, yes, we want to fuel our bodies, but we also need to occasionally fuel our soul. And so I wanted to be able to have that balance, but I also wanted to be able to find when I should fuel my soul because you can have a perfect diet regimen, but if you don't enjoy it, you're not going to stick to it. The same thing for a fitness regimen. You have to find a little bit of life in it and you have to really start to enjoy it or else you're not going to stick to it. So for me, I created the Badass Body Diet and there are four different categories. But if you just go to one category, they're all pretty similar, just depending on what your body type is will determine the different categories and your goal.

So with that, the concept is, and I'm giving you some, you can go read my book. Yeah, go do that. But the concept is, is that every meal, every snack have three of the macronutrients. Now, there's a level of quality between those macronutrients that you should look at. For example, the hierarchy in carbohydrates, that hierarchy starts with vegetables. And of course, there's always a hierarchy within the vegetables. Fruit, starches in their natural form. So you're thinking like roots, not actually like breads.

And then so vegetables, fruit, starches, and then it goes to processed foods. And then sugar, and then alcohol. Yes, it is on there. So you can look at this hierarchy and see where what you're eating kind of falls into this hierarchy. So I'm not saying you can't eat processed foods like breads, but starches and grains are going to give you a better option. It's just going to not be as much food as it would be if you were doing vegetables. So you can really pick and choose how much of food you want and what kind of feeling you want. And also, where's your training or where's your aesthetic going to be by the hierarchy of this quality scale. And that's what I wanted people to understand is that not all macros are created equal. You have the same kind of hierarchy with

proteins and you have the same hierarchy with fats. And so I broke this down for them. And Pure Paleo with this combination, which I did for a little while, it wasn't enough to maintain my activity level. I was too lean. So I had to start implementing some of these more acceptable foods like starches and grains into my body and my food in order to be able to maintain it. But I'm getting into the weeds here because I get excited. And I wanted to bring this into a simpler format for the masses for them to understand that it starts with a balance of your macros for every meal. And then you get to choose the hierarchy or the quality of that meal from this list. And really just knowing that is empowering them with the ability to have a little bit more control over their composition and what they're eating.

So really through my own curiosity of what's going to make me feel good, but also give me a little bit of soul food, it ended up taking me onto this journey that 10 years later, almost 10 years later, I was a national bestseller. And I like to tell this story because I just really didn't believe that I was a book writer, or I had the potential to be a national bestseller, or even an expert in this area. There's a lot more to nutrition than I just explained, but I love the fundamentals in life. And that means that I love the fundamentals of nutrition and workouts, training regimen, just getting that basic foundation locked in. it will build to everything else. And you just never know where it's going to lead you. So if you're still listening out there, one, I hope that this wasn't too boring for you. Because this was a really incredible journey in my life. And one of those additional aha moments where, man, I really can do whatever I put my mind to.

And sometimes I just need somebody to recognize that in me first. But I'm still working on trying to recognize that in me now with myself without others. And I just want you to embrace your own journey and your own expertise level. And people are always saying, you know, Christmas people keep asking me for training because of my training, this and that. And I'm like, well, then why don't you start training them? You know, do it safely and make sure that you do it legally. But also, why the hell not? What are you waiting for? Well, I have a nine to five. I have this. I have that. Is it your passion? Then you will find a way to make it work. And stop getting in your own fucking way. We're all guilty of it. So just say, fuck it and try it. I mean, this is exactly how I did my

bootcamp. This is exactly how I got into NASCAR. This is exactly how I got into being a national bestseller. And in my next episode, I'm going to tell you how I got onto Big Brother and my experience there, which was literally one of the most bizarre, but exciting and exhilarating experiences of my life to date. And it's just being willing to give it a try and believe in yourself a little bit more